Guardians Player Says Chase DeLauter Has Something You Can’t Teach

Chase DeLauter has been one of the most important bats in the Cleveland Guardians lineup all season, and he showed why once again in Game 1 of the American League Championship Series. The rookie went 3-4 with a home run, a double, a walk and three runs scored in Monday night’s 7-3 win over the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. His first pitch homer to lead off the sixth inning got Cleveland on the board, and his double in the eighth set up the go ahead rally. Few people have had a better view of DeLauter’s approach than the veterans who hit around him in the lineup.

After the game, Nathaniel Lowe was asked about his young teammate, and he had nothing but praise for the way DeLauter handles himself at the plate.

“Chase is such a polished at-bat. You know, we joke about it. You can’t teach it the way that he sees the ball. More times than not, if he takes it, it’s not in the box. Guys don’t usually have that skill set. They have to learn it, and it feels like Chase has that skill set in his first trip around the circuit,” Lowe said.

"Chase is such a polished at bat. You know, we joke about it. You can't teach it the way that he sees the ball"

(Via MLB Video) #Guardians Nathaniel Lowe on Chase DeLauter after his homer in Game 1 of the ALCS#GuardsBall @WEWS pic.twitter.com/m7N8fzLAvX

— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) October 13, 2026

Lowe described DeLauter’s at bats as incredibly polished and said his teammates even joke about it. He pointed out that more often than not, when DeLauter takes a pitch, it ends up being out of the strike zone. According to Lowe, most players do not come into the league with that kind of skill. They have to learn it over time, but DeLauter seems to already have it in his first full trip around the majors.

That is high praise coming from a player like Lowe. The veteran first baseman won a Silver Slugger in 2022 and was the everyday first baseman for the Rangers when they won the World Series in 2023. He has seen plenty of good hitters, and he clearly believes DeLauter belongs in that conversation already.

The numbers back up everything Lowe said. DeLauter finished the regular season hitting .287 with a .363 on base percentage, sixteen home runs, 30 doubles and 67 RBIs. His 131 OPS+ was the best on the team, and his ability to avoid swinging and missing ranked in the 93rd percentile of the majors. For a rookie who spent much of the year hitting in the heart of the order, that kind of discipline is rare.

Stephen Vogt predicted before the postseason started that the Guardians were going to see a very good version of DeLauter in October. He pointed out that the club essentially asked the rookie to do the impossible by hitting near the top and middle of the order for an entire season, and DeLauter handled it.

DeLauter, who was Cleveland’s first round pick out of James Madison in 2022, has come a long way from making his big league debut during last year’s Wild Card Series. Now he is one of the main reasons the Guardians lead this best of seven series one game to none.

Game 2 is set for Tuesday at 8 p.m. at Tropicana Field, with Parker Messick starting for Cleveland against Rays right hander Freddy Peralta. If DeLauter keeps seeing the ball the way Lowe described, the Guardians will like their chances.